I’m doing a Portuguese language immersion in Porto 19 September to 14 October, flying directly in & out of Porto. This is test to see if I want to apply for a retirement visa. I plan to visit places I might want to live, including Braga & Guimaraes.
Any advice that’s not on Ratebeer would be appreciated, regarding beer or living in Portugal. And of course if anyone wants to meet for a beer…
Estou a fazer uma imersão em língua portuguesa em Porto, de 19 de setembro, a 14 de outubro, voando diretamente para dentro e fora do Porto. Este é o teste para ver se quero solicitar um visto de reforma. Pretendo visitar lugares que talvez queira viver, incluindo Braga e Guimaraes.
Qualquer conselho que não esteja no Ratebeer seria apreciado, em relação à cerveja ou a viver em Portugal. E claro que se alguém quiser encontrar-se para uma cerveja…
I lived in Lisbon for 2 months last year during winter, and I am considering going back. I really liked Porto (I was there for only a weekend tho), so thinking about staying in Porto this time around. Just random thoughts from my experience.
Good:
+good transport connections
+big international community
+nice and friendly people
+good selection/rotation of beers (not comparable to US ofc, but I still found a lot of new ticks constantly)
Bad:
-bureaucracy (in Estonia you can do almost everything from the home, not in Portugal)
-big international community means also that it is easy to be stuck in the bubble with non locals… (I met plenty of expats who were basically only hanging out with expats).
-petty crime. Portuguese themselves are proud about their low crime rate, but my bag was almost stolen, one people in my friends group got her bag stolen in Lisbon, and my friend’s bag was stolen in Porto (all 3 were separate incidents). Basically just watch your stuff
Hi!
If you cross the border and comes to Galicia BM me. Would love to meet you at Porto for some beers but im pretty busy next month
Regarding Porto, people who runs Catraio are very nice, so im sure they can introduce you properly to the portuguese craft beer scene. Avoid tourist traps amd ask locals for fos. You will be good, Portugal is a wonderful country.
You can add Viana do Castelo to your list. Its a bit smaller but beautiful city, couple of decent bars and nearer to the beach than Braga or Guimaraes.
Good advice, thanks. I think Estonia is well ahead of the rest of Europe regarding modern technology and online governance. In fact all of “New Europe” (to quote my ex-boss Donald Rumsfeld) is miles ahead of “Old Europe” in many many ways. My second choice for a retirement visa is Italy, in many ways more bureaucratic and even less tech savvy than Portugal (although I would live in the North; the South is Ungoverned Territory).
And I agree regarding the expat community; I want to learn the language so I can live with and like the locals in a smaller town, but visit Porto when I need a craft beer fix.
Anyway, let me know if you want to explore off-the-beaten-track Portugal any time…
